Dental Tools: What Is A Dental Ultrasonic Cleaner Used For?
What is dental ultrasonic cleaner? How is it used in a dental setting? This article will shed some light as to the importance of a dental ultrasonic cleaner, how it affects stainless steel and the sanitation process in a dental office. After reading the article, you can find out more about an ultrasonic cleaner.
What is a dental ultrasonic cleaner?
The equipment that is used in dental procedures is used on different patients. It is very important that proper cleaning measures are taken in order for the prevention of infection to be ensured. Also, effective cleaning measures are needed to avoid the transfer of bacteria from patient to patient, and from patient to dental professional (and vice versa).
A dental ultrasonic cleaner is one of the most common ways dental clinics use to clean the equipment before putting them into an autoclave for sterilization. The name of the process that goes on inside a dental ultrasonic cleaner is called “cavitation”. This refers to how various types of detergent solutions along with the machine itself get rid of the blood, saliva and other microbes and debris on the stainless steel equipment and tools.
This is an important step in the sterilization process that cannot be overlooked. Before the equipment can be put in the autoclave, they have to pass through the initial cleaning process first. A dental ultrasonic cleaner will superficially clean all the tools and equipment to get them ready for sterilization.
After that, another piece of equipment, called an autoclave sterilizer, will use heat and steam to sterilize the equipment and make sure that all the harmful bacteria and debris that is not seen by the naked eye will be removed from the equipment. These two methods of cleaning and sterilization are both important in making sure that the equipment will be clean, sanitized, sterilized and ready for use for the next patient.
What process happens in a dental ultrasonic cleaner?
When stainless steel instruments are placed inside a dental ultrasonic cleaner, the remnants of previous procedures that have been left on the stainless steel instruments will be wiped clean. However, what is the procedure that goes on inside one of these cleaners? How do they work?
When the stainless steel instruments and tools are put inside a dental ultrasonic cleaner, the power of electrical energy is used to get rid of the bio-footprints that are left on the stainless steel equipment by previous patients. Everything from blood, saliva and other types of small particles will be removed.
Sound waves move through the cleaning liquid and the formation of small bubbles will help remove the particles from the tools. This process is called cavitation. It requires the bursting of the millions of bubbles to break down the chemical bonds that hold the particles onto the equipment. This will make it easier for the debris to fall away, cleaning the equipment and wiping them clean from all the sediments that may cause harm and infection to the next patient.
The importance of using a dental ultrasonic cleaner
There are various reasons why the use of a dental ultrasonic cleaner is important. Here is a list of the benefits that a dental practice can take advantage of if they use a dental ultrasonic cleaner to clean the equipment before sterilization in an autoclave.
Manual scrubbing is not enough
Manually cleaning a piece of equipment is not enough to ensure that the tools and equipment in a dental office will be safe to be used on the next patient. Manual scrubbing is only good enough to remove large pieces of debris, particles and bodily fluids that are left on the equipment by the previous patient.
Using soap and water to initially clean tools is a good idea. However it does not get rid of all the bacteria and harmful debris that can remain on the equipment and tools after the manual scrubbing is finished. This is why after the manual cleaning, the use of a dental ultrasonic cleaner should be used, followed by another sterilizing method.
Keep in mind that the complete cleaning and sterilizing process requires these three cleaning methods. There is no one that is more important than the others. Proper cleaning of the stainless steel dental equipment will need the washing of the tools, followed by the tools being put in a dental ultrasonic cleaner and lastly, the tools undergoing the sterilization process in an autoclave sterilizer. Only after all of these steps will tools be considered “clean” and safe for the dental professional to use on the next patient.
Gets rid of fine debris on equipment
If there are still remnants of hardened saliva, blood or other sediments from the previous dental procedure, the dental ultrasonic cleaner will be able to get rid of it. Experts say that this type of cleaning method can get rid of almost 99.9% of harmful sediments that can be left on dental equipment and tools.
Using an autoclave without prior cleaning using a dental ultrasonic cleaner is not effective enough to remove all the debris. An autoclave sterilizer uses the power of heat and steam to sterilize 
equipment and stainless steel tools. However, if the tools are put into the autoclave skipping the step of using a dental ultrasonic cleaner, there is a chance that some of the biological sediments and debris will still be left on the stainless steel tools.
The process of breaking down the chemical bonds that allow the debris to hold on to the tools happens inside the dental ultrasonic cleaner. If these bonds are not properly broken down, the equipment and tools may not be completely sterilized.
It is very effective when followed by autoclave sterilization
The use of a dental ultrasonic cleaner followed by sterilization in an autoclave is extremely effective. The use of both of these methods will ensure that all the equipment used for the various dental procedures and operations will be safe and completely free from any type of sediment or microbe that can potentially cause harm to the next patient or to the dental professional who is handling the equipment.
Final thoughts
Using an ultrasonic dental cleaner is crucial if you want to ensure that no biological debris gets passed from one patient to another.
After using a dental ultrasonic cleaner, it is important to use an autoclave to complete the process of cleaning stainless steel tools and equipment. Remember that scrubbing your tools and dental equipment down with a brush and soap is not enough. Dental practices strive because of strict adherence to cleanliness and sanitation. If you do not make sure that your equipment and stainless steel tools are cleaned well enough, it may have devastating effects on both your dental practice and your patients.
At the end of the day, you can never go wrong when you use a dental ultrasonic cleaner to help you get rid of unwanted debris from your stainless steel tools. Keep your patients (and yourself) away from potential infection and harm by using a reliable sanitation system that includes a dental ultrasonic cleaner.
